| US 7,569,046 B2 | ||
| Guide-in-guide catheter system | ||
| Pu Zhou, Plymouth, Minn. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Scimed Life Systems, Inc., Maple Grove, Minn. (US) | ||
| Filed on Dec. 27, 2001, as Appl. No. 10/26,517. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2003/0125712 A1, Jul. 03, 2003 | ||
| Int. Cl. A61M 25/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 604—530 [604/523; 604/524; 604/525; 604/531; 604/532; 604/95.05] | 7 Claims |
| 1. A medical catheter system comprising:
a first catheter having
an entrance orifice,
an exit orifice,
a channel connecting the entrance orifice and the exit orifice,
a wall surrounding the channel, the hardness of the wall surrounding the channel, when considered from an initial reference
point at the entrance orifice and traveling towards the exit orifice, regardless of the orientation of the wall, decreasing
in hardness in a first distinct region then increasing in hardness in a second distinct region and then decreasing in hardness
again in a third distinct region, the hardness of the third region being different than the hardness of the first region and,
a second catheter located within the first catheter, the first catheter sized to allow the second catheter to move within
it, the second catheter having a steerable distal portion and a bendable curved memory portion;
wherein the bendable curved memory portion of the second catheter contains a cross-linking polymer activated by ultra-violet
light, and when activated the curved memory portion becomes shaped into a predetermined shape.
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